Scientists have published a number of studies observing how plants and animals shift their range slightly toward cooler temperatures in response to global warming. The hope is that even as the global warms, wildlife may be able to adapt simply by moving. But new research published in the journal PLOS Biology suggests that nearly half of the species that attempt such a move wind up extinct in that area, unable to adapt fully to a new habitat. The results suggest that moving habitats may not be an effective adaptation method in the coming decades as the Earth continues to warm by several multiples of what has already occurred, researchers behind the study say.

The scientists found a pattern of extinction across a wide variety of climate and habitats, though the phenomenon harms some areas more than others. Tropical species are among the hardest hit with 55% facing local extinction following a move compared to just 39% of their counterparts in temperate environments, according the study.

Humans may be harming the ability of species to adjust beyond causing the planet to warm, the study says. Agriculture, man-made structures and other urban developments remove potential habitats and block potential paths to disperse.

The study joins a growing list of research across the globe showing a decline in biodiversity, a measure of the different plant and animal species in a given area. A study published in the journal Science earlier this year found that biodiversity has fallen to unsustainable levels across more than half of the world’s surface.

Researchers say the collapse of local ecosystems due to biodiversity loss is about more than just saving animals. Ecosystems support humans in a variety of ways from pollination and pest control necessary for agriculture. Trees and plants also hold carbon dioxide that would otherwise contribute to climate change.

“Decision-makers worry a lot about economic recessions,” said author Andy Purvis, a professor at the Natural History Museum in London, earlier this year. “But an ecological recession could have even worse consequences—and the biodiversity damage we’ve had means we’re at risk of that happening.”

Officials extended driving restrictions in Paris on Thursday and will expand them to Lyon by the end of the week as the worst air pollution in a decade continues to threaten public health in the country’s urban centers, according to a Le Mondereport.

Paris has restricted half of vehicles from the road based on whether their license plate ended with an odd or even number as low winds have failed to blow the pollution off land into the ocean. The move is the fourth ban in 20 years and the first time the city has made such a move on consecutive days.

“Cars are poisoning the air. We need to take preventive measures,” said Paris transport official Herve Levife, according to a Reuters report.

Air pollution has received increased attention from scientists and policymakers in recent months as new research tolls the devastating effect it has on human health even in the developed world. A recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that more than 90% of the world’s population lives in areas with unsafe levels of air pollution. Cities like London and Paris have largely focused on addressing pollution from vehicles to address the crisis with mixed success.

(NEW YORK) — Leonardo DiCaprio and the head of his foundation met Wednesday with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss how jobs centered on preserving the environment can boost the economy.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Terry Tamminen, the CEO of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, confirmed the meeting at Trump Tower in New York City. Tamminen said the pair gave a presentation to Trump, daughter Ivanka, and other members of Trump’s team on how focusing on renewable, clean energy could create millions of jobs.

“Today, we presented the President-elect and his advisors with a framework — which LDF developed in consultation with leading voices in the fields of economics and environmentalism — that details how to unleash a major economic revival across the United States that is centered on investments in sustainable infrastructure,” Tamminen said. “Our conversation focused on how to create millions of secure, American jobs in the construction and operation of commercial and residential clean, renewable energy generation.”

The Oscar-winning actor has been a strong advocate of fighting climate change and preserving wildlife, and his recent documentary, “Before the Flood,” addresses the peril that the world faces because of climate change.

DiCaprio previously met with Ivanka Trump and presented her with a copy of the film.

The meeting with Trump’s team lasted for about 90 minutes. The actor also gave the president-elect a copy of the documentary, and Trump promised to watch it, according to a person who was familiar with the meeting but not authorized to speak publicly.

Tamminen, who was secretary of California’s Environmental Protection Agency under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said Trump was receptive and suggested they meet again next month.

“We look forward to continuing the conversation with the incoming administration as we work to stop the dangerous march of climate change, while putting millions of people to work at the same time,” said Tamminen.

The meeting came after word got out Wednesday that Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a climate-change denier whose policies have helped fossil fuel companies, is expected to be announced as Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), placing someone who questions the science of climate change—and who has fought the agency as a state official—in charge of protecting the environment.

The planned appointment, first reported by Reuters citing sources in Trump’s transition team, is certain to encourage the oil and gas lobbyists who Pruitt has helped during his six years as Oklahoma’s chief lawyer. Pruitt has played a key role in prosecuting a legal fight against President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, his central strategy to fight climate change, in addition to other environmental regulations.

Pruitt—who has received more than $300,000 in contributions from fossil fuel industry since 2002—is also a member of an alliance of Republican attorneys general who have united with the energy industry to fight President Obama’s environmental regulations, according to a 2014 New York Timesreport. In one case as attorney general, he sent a letter confronting the EPA using nearly exact language sent to his office by industry lobbyists.

If confirmed, Pruitt would mark a sharp departure from the EPA of the Obama era, which has issued a slew of rules aimed at combatting climate change, promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency and targeting public health. Pruitt has said that many environmental protection issues would be better handled at the state level. And, much like the president-elect who plans to nominate him, Pruitt has questioned the science of man-made climate change, calling the issue “far from settled.”

Pruitt’s nomination has drawn sharp criticism from environmentalists concerned that he would not fulfill his responsibility to oversee implementation of laws and regulations aimed at combatting global warming. “Scott Pruitt has built his political career by trying to undermine EPA’s mission of environmental protection,” said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, in an emailed statement. “He is a deeply troubling choice.”

But worried concerns environmental groups about Pruitt is likely exactly what appealed to Trump. The President-elect has called global warming a “hoax” created by the Chinese government and called to “scrap” many existing environmental regulations. At times, Trump has called for the elimination of the agency. He later backed off that proposal, and since his election has sometimes sent more conciliatory signals on climate change—most recently meeting with Al Gore on Monday, who called the experience “lengthy and very productive.”

But who Trump meets with and what he might say to the media matters much less for environmental policy than who he picks to lead agencies like the EPA and Energy. On his own LinkedIn page, Pruitt has suggested that EPA’s role should be curtailed, writing that he “led the charge with repeated notices and subsequent lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their leadership’s activist agenda.”

Google expects to purchase enough renewable energy to cover its entire operation for the first time ever next year, the company announced Tuesday.

The company will purchase about 2.6 gigawatts of wind and solar energy annually (enough to more power more than 1 million homes) to power its office and data center operations around the globe. The nature of the electric grid means the company cannot ensure that its facilities only use renewable energy, but the company contracts with renewable producers to add wind and solar capacity to the grid. This means that Google’s consumption does not result in any increase in electricity use from fossil fuels.

Google’s announcement is the latest indicator of how quickly renewable energy sources have become a competitive alternative to fossil fuels. The cost of solar power per unit of electricity, for instance, is now 1/150th of what it was in the 1970s and costs the same as electricity produced from coal and natural gas fired plants in many places, according to a Bloomberg report. Gary Demasi, the company’s director of global infrastructure and energy, said that when the company’s executives first set a 100% renewable target in 2012 they had no idea how quickly they could achieve it.

“The cost curve has been coming down regardless,” he says. “We didn’t know it would come down so quickly.”

Google, whose data centers across the globe consume large quantities of energy, explained the choice to go renewable as a business decision first and foremost. Contracts to purchase renewable energy help the company avoid the highly-variable costs of fossil fuels that affect the bottomline of other energy-intensive industries.

Beyond business concerns meeting the renewable target will also delight environmental groups that have called on corporations to help make up the gap between government commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the level scientists say is needed to address climate change. More than 80 large companies including the likes of Facebook, Nestle and Walmart have promised to go 100% renewable in the coming years. Data from the Climate Group, which organizes a coalition of companies pursuing 100% renewable energy, suggests that if all companies made such a pledge global carbon dioxide emissions would fall by as much as 15%.

Supporters of the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline celebrated the Obama administration’s decision Sunday not to approve a key permit allowing the pipeline’s builder to complete the project. The decision undoubtedly represents a significant victory for those gathered in North Dakota by the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, but the long struggle to block the pipeline remains far from over. The federal government did not definitively reject the path crossing the Missouri and instead chose to spend time—perhaps months or years—on further review, which will ultimately leave the final decision to the incoming Trump administration.

“This is a victory for organizing, and it doesn’t stop now,” says Dallas Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network. “More threats are likely in the year to come, and we cannot stop until this pipeline is completely and utterly defeated.”

At the heart of the protests and the recent decision is the pipeline’s crossing under the Missouri River, less than a mile from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. A permit approval to cross the river in that location is the only permit that remains outstanding for the project. The tribe has argued that the crossing threatens their primary source of drinking water and crosses over ancestral lands. Importantly, tribal leaders have said the government had not taken their views into account in the permit approval process as required by law.

The decision on Sunday from the Obama administration—formally from the Department of the Army, which is responsible for ensuring the crossing complies with federal law—was intended to rectify the tribe’s concerns. The Army called for a full Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the current route, as well as alternatives. That process, which can take years, requires scientific analysis and an opportunity for public comment and criticism. Technically, federal officials could still approve the project’s proposed river crossing, but the decision to call for further review suggests at the very least a good deal of skepticism that the pipeline—which is more than 90% completed—will be finished along this route.

“Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with the Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it’s clear that there’s more work to do,” said the Army’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy in a statement. “The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.”

Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the pipeline, has said repeatedly that it will not accept an alternate route. The pipeline has a total cost of nearly $4 billion. Luckily for the company, President-elect Trump will have an opportunity to reevaluate the permit process once he takes office. Trump—who owns a stake in at least one company invested in the project—has indicated that he supports the pipeline to promote “policies that benefit all Americans.”

Still, expediting approval may not be as simple as a stroke of the pen. Once made, reversing a regulatory decision often entails a thorough and time-consuming process. Both supporters and opponents of the pipeline acknowledge that the process is not exactly clear on how a new president can undo the Obama administration’s decision. “That’s the $50,000 question,” says Craig Stevens of the Midwest Alliance for Infrastructure Now, a business and trade group that supports the pipeline. “They’re going to take a look at it when they get into office.”

No matter what Trump does opponents of the pipeline have vowed to stop the project by any available means. Many protesters have decided to stay at the camp site even after Sunday’s decision, knowing that construction of the pipeline is not imminent. And advocacy groups have promised litigation to slow if not stop the project.

“It’s pretty clear that they’re not going to get this done without a fight,” says Jan Hasselman, a lawyer with the environmental group Earthjustice who has represented the Standing Rock Sioux. “The whole world is watching.”

]]>Law enforcement vehicles line a road leading to a blocked bridge next to the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., Dec. 3, 2016.Robert Redford: Solar Power Must Continue to Be Affordablehttp://time.com/4590837/robert-redford-solar-power-must-continue-to-be-affordable/
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:26:39 +0000http://time.com/?p=4590837]]>

There are not many things the vast majority of Americans agree on. The election certainly reminded us of this fact. In an increasingly divided country, it is becoming harder and harder to find common ground, particularly surrounding the issues of energy development and climate change.

One of the few issues with strong bipartisan support is, surprisingly, solar power. A recent poll found nearly nine in 10 Americans support the expansion of solar power. Among all the energy sources, it has the highest favorability rating. That’s for good reason.

I have been engaged on the issue of climate change for over 40 years and have been a long-time proponent of solar power. In 1975, I produced a short called The Solar Film that explored the benefits of harnessing energy from the sun. I was too early then, but I firmly believe the moment to build a clean and affordable energy economy has finally arrived.

Since then, I’ve been encouraged to see policies and agreements promoting renewable energy adopted at state, national and global levels. Though the incoming administration is unlikely to allow this clean energy revolution to grow unimpeded, I am still optimistic that the solar energy industry will continue to progress.

Despite near-universal support, the solar energy industry continues to face unnecessary obstacles to widespread adoption. In particular, Americans who power their homes with solar energy have unwittingly become targets of utility companies.

Residential solar providers and utilities share an awkward handshake. Solar companies need customers to be tethered to the grid, yet their products reduce electricity usage, and that chips away at utility profits.

Now, some utilities are taking aggressive and irresponsible actions. In Nevada last year, the local utilities implemented higher fees and lower credits for solar-powered homes to devastating results.

Major solar companies left the state, many others had to close their doors and thousands lost their jobs. Suddenly, there was a 99 percent reduction in solar applications. It is nothing short of tragic, and in one of our sunniest states no less.

In Utah, my home for over 40 years, a similar battle is playing out now as the utility, Rocky Mountain Power, is proposing to quickly and dramatically increase rates for rooftop solar customers. For the average customer, the proposal could add nearly $15,000 of additional costs over the life of their rooftop solar system, virtually erasing any economic benefit they might derive from their investment. If we let these increases go into effect, some predict the residential solar industry in the state will be decimated and Utah, one of the sunniest states in the nation, will become one of the least solar friendly states. Many of us are worried solar jobs in Utah could be lost at even more dramatic rates than Nevada.

We can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of the past and punish citizens who simply want to save money and help the environment at the same time. For solar to become a mass-market energy source, it must remain affordable for Americans.

I urge regulators, consumer advocates and policymakers to work together to achieve a compromise that will allow solar companies to coexist with utilities, rather than compete with them. Please join our efforts by emailing the Public Service Commission and telling them to save residential solar in Utah or add your signature to Save Utah Solar MoveOn.org petition.

Time is running out. Our window of opportunity is narrow. I believe there are true limits to the resources of our planet, but there is no limit to the human imagination and our capacity to solve the biggest challenges of our time.

Redford is an actor, director and environmental advocate. He founded the Sundance Institute and co-founded The Redford Center with his son, Jamie Redford.

Assistant secretary for civil works Jo-Ellen Darcy confirmed the decision on Sunday, and said it was based on a need to “explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.” Work on the controversial pipeline will halt so the Army Corps of Engineers can conduct an environmental-impact study to look at possible alternative routes for the 1,170-mile project.

“Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with the Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it’s clear that there’s more work to do,” Darcy said in a statement. “The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.”

Thousands of Native American and environmental activists have protested the building of the pipeline for months, saying it violates the rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and will add to detrimental climate change. In recent months, protests have escalated in violence as authorities have attacked demonstrators with tear gas, rubber bullets and water hoses.

“We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps., the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing,” Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II said in a statement.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted that he appreciated Obama for listening to the activists.

“In 2016, we should not continue to trample on Native American sovereignty,” he wrote. “And we should not become more dependent on fossil fuels.”

In 2016, we should not continue to trample on Native American sovereignty. And we should not become more dependent on fossil fuels.

In a statement, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell commended the Army for its decision.

“The thoughtful approach established by the Army today ensures that there will be an in-depth evaluation of alternative routes for the pipeline and closer look at potential impacts, as envisioned by NEPA,” she wrote. “The Army’s announcement underscores that tribal rights reserved in treaties and federal law, as well as Nation-to-Nation consultation with tribal leaders, are essential components of the analysis to be undertaken in the environmental impact statement going forward.”

The letter—initiated by British singer Kate Nash—has been signed by Sia, Alicia Keys, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Annie Lennox and Mark Ronson, among other big names.

Activists have been protesting the 1,200-mile project for months, arguing that it threatens the water source of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and violated federal law by not adequately considering the tribe’s input. In recent clashes, police officers have used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.

In the open letter, musicians voiced support for protesters, saying they were “deeply disturbed” by police actions and calling on the White House to step in.

“We encourage you to remember that this planet provides for us, not the other way around. Water is life and this cannot be underestimated or taken for granted in 2016,” Nash wrote in the letter, published by VICE music site Noisey.

“We are aware of the long and painful history between the US and its indigenous people. Know that the world’s eyes and the eyes of the music community are on you now as you continue to disregard the treaties you have with the Native American people and act barbarically towards them.”

CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) — So far, the hundreds of protesters fighting the Dakota Access pipeline have shrugged off the heavy snow, icy winds and frigid temperatures that have swirled around their large encampment on the North Dakota grasslands.

But if they defy next week’s government deadline to abandon the camp, demonstrators know the real deep freeze lies ahead, when the full weight of the Great Plains winter descends on their community of nylon tents and teepees. Life-threatening wind chills and towering snow drifts could mean the greatest challenge is simple survival.

“I’m scared. I’m a California girl, you know?” said Loretta Reddog of Placerville, California, a protester who said she arrived several months ago with her two dogs and has yet to adjust to the harsher climate.

The government has ordered protesters to leave federal land by Monday, although it’s not clear what, if anything, authorities will do to enforce that mandate. Demonstrators insist they will stay for as long as it takes to divert the $3.8 billion pipeline, which the Standing Rock Sioux tribe believes threatens sacred sites and a river that provides drinking water for millions of people.

The pipeline is largely complete except for a short segment that is planned to pass beneath a Missouri River reservoir. The company doing the building says it is unwilling to reroute the project.

For several months, the government permitted the gathering, allowing its population to swell. The Seven Council Fires camp began growing in August as it took in the overflow crowd from smaller protest sites nearby. It now covers a half square mile, with living quarters that include old school buses, fancy motorhomes and domelike yurts. Hale bales are piled around some teepees to keep out the wind. There’s even a crude corral for horses.

The number of inhabitants has ranged from several hundred to several thousand. It has been called the largest gathering of Native American tribes in a century.

Increasingly, more permanent wooden structures are being erected, even though the Army Corps of Engineers considers them illegal on government property. The Standing Rock Sioux insist the land still belongs to their tribe under a nearly 150-year-old treaty.

Nate Bison, a member of South Dakota’s Cheyenne River Sioux, came to the camp after quitting his job in Las Vegas a week ago. He said he intends to stay indefinitely, a prospect that may cause him to lose his house in Nevada.

“But since I’ve lived in these conditions before, to me it’s not all that bad,” he said.

Camp morale is high, he added, despite the onset of winter.

“Everybody I’ve talked to, you hear laughter and people just having a good time, enjoying the camaraderie and the support from each other,” Bison said. “And the love. People are taking the shirts off their own backs for other people. No one is left out that I’ve seen.”

On Thursday, the camp near the confluence of the Missouri and Cannonball rivers was shrouded in snow, much of it compacted by foot and vehicle traffic. Temperatures hovered in the 20s. Next week’s forecast calls for single digits and subzero wind chills.

Camp dwellers are getting ready for the hardships of a long stay. Mountains of donated food and water are being stockpiled, as is firewood, much of which has come from outside of North Dakota, the least-forested state in the nation. A collection of Army surplus tents with heating stoves serve as kitchen, dining hall, medical clinic and a camp-run school. Many of the smaller tents have become tattered by the wind.

Thane Maxwell, a 32-year-old Minneapolis native who has been living at the camp since July, said North Dakota’s bitter cold will not deter protesters committed to fighting the pipeline, or “black snake” as they call it.

Tribes from the Great Plains states are adept at surviving brutal winters, he said. Others from warmer climes are being taught how to endure the frostbite-inducing temperatures that are sure to come.

“A lot of these people have been living in this climate for hundreds of years,” said Maxwell a member of Minnesota-based Honor the Earth Foundation. “It’s a skill set that can be learned. The danger is escalating from law enforcement, not the weather.”

Reddog said she has confidence in the camp community. “Everybody’s really stepping up and taking care of each other,” she said.

Maxwell put out a call on social media for more donations, seeking four-wheel drive trucks and foul-weather clothing. He also asked for gas masks and protective baseball and hockey gear to shield protesters from any future skirmishes with police.

More than 525 people from across the country have been arrested since August. In a recent clash between police and protesters near the path of the pipeline, officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and large water hoses in sub-freezing temperatures. Organizers said at least 17 protesters were taken to the hospital, some for hypothermia and one for an arm injury. One officer was hurt.

North Dakota has often conjured images of a wind-swept, treeless wasteland. The perception was so great that it led to a short-lived proposal to change the state’s name by dropping “North” and leaving just “Dakota,” to dispel the image of inhospitable winter weather.

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, who is heading the law enforcement effort around the pipeline, said he hopes the harsh conditions force people to leave the encampment, something the state and federal governments have so far been unable to do.

In addition to the federal order, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple issued a “mandatory evacuation” for the camp “to safeguard against harsh winter conditions.” But he said Wednesday that the state has no intention of blocking food and supplies from coming into the camp.

Doing so would be a “huge mistake from a humanitarian viewpoint,” the Republican said.

The federal deadline probably will not have any immediate effect on the camp either. Soon after it was set, the Army Corps of Engineers explained that the agency had no plans to forcibly remove anyone, although violators could be charged with trespassing.

Back at the camp, about 75 people lined up Thursday to draw propane for heating and cooking from a fuel truck. The driver, Rodney Grant, said it was his seventh trip in a week. The propane was free to campers. Grant said he did not know who was paying for it.

Dani Jo McKing, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux, was among those in line. She and her husband have been sharing cold-weather tips with people who are not from North Dakota. She said people with out-of-state license plates, including California and Nevada, have been seen driving away from the camp. The cruel winter is bound to induce others to head home, she said.

The cold weather has never bothered her.

“This is where I live. I’ll stay until the end. This is God’s country,” she said.

Summer Moore arrived last week from Paintsville, Kentucky, and quickly learned the power of the whipping North Dakota wind. When a snowstorm rolled in Monday, it ripped her tent to shreds.

“It wasn’t that cold, but the wind was so bad it knocked me down three times,” Moore said.

She hitched a ride to the casino on the Standing Rock reservation and rode out the storm in a hotel room.

A carpenter named Joel Maurer came from California last month. He’s been building small shed-like bunkhouses that will sleep seven people each with room for a stove.